Defenders
Background
Around the world, communities defending land, environment, and human rights face risks from large-scale investments, infrastructure projects, and extractive industries. Many face harassment, violence, or criminalization simply for protecting their homes and livelihoods. Yet in many cases, the related investments may be publicly announced before financial agreements are signed, creating a window that, with the right tools and networks, can be used for preventative action. IAP aims to help communities and defenders identify risks early, access timely information, receive support and take proactive action before harm occurs.
About Defender Alerts
Defender Alerts forecasts risks from proposed and newly approved investments by major development finance institutions and shares this information with communities and defenders most likely to be impacted. By combining data from the Early Warning System, which tracks over tens of thousands of projects financed by 15 largest and most influential development banks alongside the roles of more than 10,000 private actors, with intelligence from civil society partners around the world, IAP distributes timely, accessible alerts. The goal is by forecasting risk we will spark preventative action and protect people before harm occurs.
How Defender Alerts Work
When a new investment is proposed, IAP and partners analyze the potential risks across key dimensions: How financiers assess investment risk, what sector the project belongs to, how open the civic space is, what the company's human rights track record is, what commitments the company has made, and what institutional safeguards are in place. Projects that raise concerns are turned into clear, accessible Defender Alerts and shared through secure channels. Alerts are not just information; they are the starting point for community-led action, including protection planning, early advocacy, and engagement with decision-makers.
Partners
This work is grounded in a process of regional and national consultation. Before launching, IAP shared pilot versions of Defender Alerts with 14 organizations across local, national, and regional levels. Their feedback directly shaped the initiative works by focusing on what defenders most need from it. Building on those insights, IAP works alongside a Core Group of organizations with deep experience in defender protection, corporate accountability, climate justice, and community-led advocacy: the Business and Human Rights Centre, Peace Brigades International, the Coalition for Human Rights in Development, and Indigenous Peoples' Rights International. Together, we aim to spark proactive, community-centered protection strategies, so community defenders can shift power and shape their own future.
